tweetybugshouse
Written on Jul 26, 2015
In the second part of Amanda Hocking's bestselling Trylle trilogy, Torn, Wendy is desperate to return to her old life, but can she put the Trylle, and especially Finn Holmes, behind her?
Acknowledging that she was different from everyone else wasn't difficult for Wendy Everly - she'd always felt like an outsider. But a new world and new family is a little hard for any girl to accept. Leaving behind the mysterious country of her birth, she is determined to fit back into normal life. But the world she's left behind won't let her go that easily . . .
Kidnapped and imprisoned by her true family's enemies, Wendy soon learns that the lines between good and evil aren't as defined as she thought. And those things she'd taken for granted may have been lies all along. With the help of the dangerously attractive Loki, she escapes back to the safety of Förening - only to be confronted by a new threat.
It's time to make a choice - can she put aside her personal feelings for the sake of her country? Torn between duty and love she must make a choice that could destroy her one chance at true happiness.
- ISBN10 1447210301
- ISBN13 9781447210306
- Publish Date 1 March 2012 (first published 1 January 2010)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Pan Macmillan
- Imprint Tor
- Format Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
- Pages 352
- Language English
Reviews
Kim Deister
Written on Aug 19, 2014
She is conflicted, unsure of what she should believe and who she should trust in her new world. She is overwhelmed and confused and doesn't really understand what is happening around her. That drove me nuts. For most of the book, various people are pulling at her in different directions, telling her what she should be doing without telling her why. There are so many things going on under the radar in the kingdom, but no one will explain anything to her and she tends to rebel. Elora and Aurora continue to snark at her, trying to mold her into something, someone she just isn't.
I loved this book even more than the first. Her struggles were real and I felt her frustration. I wanted to jump into the book and slap those who treated her so badly, even as they wanted her to save them all. The caste system also drove me nuts in this book, how badly the trackers were treated. These are the people expected to sacrifice everything for the nobles and yet they were treated as though they were disposable. They were the soldiers of the society and I suppose that, as a former soldier myself, it bothered me that their lives were so worthless and unsupported, even as they were expected to risk themselves.
Willa, whom I really didn't like in the first book, begins to come into her own. She grows up and realizes that people are people, regardless of caste. I loved that change, and it made me love her. There are all kinds of new characters inn this book, Tove being one of my favorites. He is starting to have a big role in the series and there is a bit of mystery about him. Wendy, too, begins to change and I love that she still has that spark and bucks the traditions of the kingdom!
Bonus: There's a bonus short story in the newer editions of the book, One Day, Three Ways, set in the world of the Trylle!
My Recommendation: Love the cover, love the story! This is my favorite thus far and I definitely recommend it! I gave it 4.5 mugs!
Kelsenator
Written on Aug 23, 2012
Wendy has connections with both the Trylle as their princess, but also unexpected ones with Vittra. The title of the book is pretty much about how she is torn between the two, as well as other things like love and duty. It’s getting to the point where decisions need to be made, but as future Queen, she doesn’t know what to do. There’ always a chance she could ruin things, or greatly improve them. Wendy is definitely a strong and stubborn girl, but she still has trouble believing in herself, and not seeing what others see in her.
Her mother, Elora, still seems so cold out in the open, but I can understand that she has to act this way, with the other monarchs just waiting to overthrow her if she slips for a second as well as what happened in the past. She does start to show some more warmth towards her daughter, and I think she really does care for her.
Finn is still keeping his distance after pretty much breaking Wendy’s heart from the first book, and leaving without saying good-bye. I honestly can’t tell if he feels anything towards her or not anymore but he sees his job and duty as more important especially with his stature in the Trylle world being pretty low. He could just be thinking about whats best for her, but I think he needs to start fighting for her. Now Loki, the guy from Vittra, is pretty awesome. I find that I like him more than Finn in this book. He has cool abilities which are different since he’s Vittra, but I loved his cocky/fun attitude, while still showing his soft side.
So aside from characters this book continues on with Wendy’s task of becoming better with her magic. She has some cool abilities so far and I loved what she could do. Meanwhile they are trying to make sure they are not attacked again by Vittra by securing the place and even coming up with other plans for the future. As well as preparing her for ruling one day, and one other special event dcloser to the end of the book.
There’s definitely more twists and some more about the past revealed in this book and I loved all of it. I’m still hoping she ends up with a certain character, but we shall see how it ends! This book also included the short story One Day, Three Ways. Without giving too much away, it’s the perspectives of the three main guys, Finn Loki and Tove, on the last even that happens in this book. It gave more insight into what they were thinking and I liked it.
Angie
Written on Mar 15, 2012
Wendy truly is torn in this book. She's torn over her sense of duty versus love. She's dealing with a lot more than she was in the previous book, and a lot more is riding on her shoulders. As a result she must learn more about Trylle and Vittra history, and develop and control her powers. I really enjoyed reading more about the troll world, and what kind of powers Wendy has yet to come into fully. It was also interesting to watch Wendy go from a carefree teen to a reluctant princess and finally to a dutiful Queen in training. We also get to see a new side of Elora, which made me hate her less, and made her feel more real. I also started feeling sorry for her, which I wasn't expecting. In fact, there's quite a few things I wasn't expecting in this book, and that just made it that much more enjoyable.
I enjoyed this one even more than the first book. I loved learning more about the different trolls, but I especially loved Loki. He's incredibly handsome and charming, and I'm just drawn to him much like Wendy is. I can't figure out if he truly feels like they have a connection or if he has an unknown agenda. Either way, I hope to see him again in the next book, and I cannot wait to see how this trilogy ends!
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
bookishzelda
Written on Mar 5, 2012
Amanda Hocking continues where she left off in Torn. It doesn't miss a beat between the two books. I was a little disappointed that we didn't spend more time finding out about the Vittra from their perspective but some questions are answered. I liked the happenings in the book, it wasn't just Wendy trapped in a palace getting belittled.
A few new characters are introduced in this book, one of which is Loki. He was actually introduced in the bonus material of the first book but if you don't have an edition with that then this is the first we really see of him. I'm not sure what it is about him that I like so much. Maybe it's that damaged bad boyness about him, where he doesn't care what other people think. He only cares about what and who is important to him.
We also meet Sarah, who doesn't have a prominent role but you feel empathetic to her from the minute you meet her. Like she is probably too good not to like. There seems to be a little bit of loneliness to her.
We also get to know Duncan, Wendy's new tracker and see a lot more of her host brother Matt. Rhys pretty much disappears at some point in the book.
Finn fades a little bit into the shadows. He is still there to pull some heart strings but he doesn't stand out to me very much. I wouldn't consider myself on his "Team" if you are going to pick one.
Tove steps up a little bit and he has a more defined role in the whole scheme of things.
I had some cover love for this book and that's why I picked it up so quickly. I'm glad I did though.
Of course like Switched, Torn has some alternative covers that I actually like as well.
Suz @ Bookish Revelations
Written on Feb 4, 2012
Her character grows and becomes much more developed as she soon realizes that she shares more of a connection with the Vittra than she ever expected to share. In order to save the Trylle she'll have to learn how to harness the magical powers that she possesses, as well as marry an equally powerful Royal. All of this will come at a high cost to Wendy, because it means walking away from two people who mean a great deal to her, Finn and Loki with whom she shares a blossoming attraction to. If she isn't careful, she could potentially lose everything by making the wrong the choice, affecting both worlds in a devastating blow.
Amanda Hocking pens an incredibly fascinating, unique, and original tale of folk lore and magical realms sure to wow and stun readers. Her world building skills are simply mesmerizing and equally entrancing, as they set amazingly high standards for other books in this genre to live up to. The world of the Trylle is beautiful and dark, sprinkled with light peeking in through the nooks and cracks. It's a world brimming with so much emotion and some of the most imaginative action packed thrill seeking battle scenes, I've ever read. There's more light shed on the growing history of the Trylle, Wendy's mother's actions and cool almost cruel tough love, and insight behind the inner-workings of the Trylle themselves. The Troll lore is exciting and invigorating, providing more information on the magical trolls and why they separated into two warring kingdoms pitted against one another.
The characters in Torn are so much more interesting and intriguing, as they grow stronger and become more developed. I found it interesting the back-story given on Flora (Wendy's mother), explaining her coolness and the treatment of her daughter. In some ways, it made me sympathize with her as a reader and almost sort of find her likable, to an extent. Matt was incredibly delightful to get to know, as he was such a supportive brother to Wendy in so many ways that made him amazing. It was nice to see how the smaller supportive characters fit into the story and had a place of their own, while also still preserving their own relevance to the story being told.
I found Loki to be just completely irresistible and very swoon worthy. He's just incredibly sweet and sardonic in such a fun way that kind of makes you want to root for him. He's just full of so much willful bad boy charm that it was charming to get to know him and to see his connection with Wendy slowly grow over time. There's a bit of a love triangle almost set-up perfectly here, as readers watch the relationship between Wendy and Finn start to take a turn for the worst, unraveling painfully. It's heartbreaking and you can't help, but feel for them both as they both try and deal with it in their own ways. It's easy to see how both Finn and Loki could be good for her in many different ways for different reasons. Finn is different in this installment to the trilogy, where he's pulling away from Wendy and putting distance between them because he's bound to his people and his duty.
In many ways, Torn, is a highly engaging novel with many breath taking thrills and adventure to light the way for readers, keeping them on the edge of their seats with deeply riveting twists and turns and an endless supply of unpredictability. It just simply surpassed any expectations that I might have personally had for it and turned into such an amazing page-turner of awesome. Incredibly imaginative, Amanda Hocking creates a world in which the reader will want to immerse themselves into and never leave.